During 2008 the USFS monitored 2 separate pairs of bald eagles nesting on Bass Lake. This is the first year that we have recorded two separate pairs nesting successfully at Bass Lake, and based on preliminary results from mid-winter monitoring in January 2009, it may not be the last!

The new eagle nest utilized in the 2008 breeding season is located fairly close to the water opposite the Pine Point Recreation area. Despite our initial concerns regarding boating traffic and noise, the new eagle pair persevered and successfully fledged 2 young in July. Our second pair of Bald Eagles who have consistently utilized the Goat mountain nest over the past several years returned and successfully fledged 2 young of their own, also in July.

Bass Lake appears to remain a productive site for Bald Eagle nesting, with fledgling success rates higher than the average for the state of California. (CDFG)

Bass Lake also supports multiple Osprey nests, with 4 active nests observed in the year 2008 by Forest Service biologists.

During 2007, the bald eagle pair at Bass Lake returned to nest again. Our monitoring of the nest was less intensive than years past, as these birds seem to be settling in quite well, and other wildlife priorities required attention. No pictures of the bald eagle pair were taken by the Forest Service in 2007.

The pair fledged two young eagles this summer. This represents the fourth consecutive year that the Bass Lake eagles have successfully fledged young. In light of this, we assume the level of human activity going on around them is something they are accepting. Based upon observations from years prior, we anticipate the eagle pair will likely start a new nesting cycle in February.

We expect that the adult pair will hang around through the winter as they have in years past. We hope to find them during the winter eagle survey in January 2008. The January 2007 winter eagle survey at Bass Lake was successful in locating one adult eagle and one juvenile eagle.

During the winter the adult eagles will eventually force their fledged young to disperse to parts unknown to explore, find a suitable territory, and hopefully a mate.

Update! Effective August 8, 2007, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has delisted the bald eagle in the lower 48 states from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. After nearly disappearing from most of the U.S., the bald eagle is now flourishing and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act. “Fueled by a reduction in the threats to the bald eagle, the population in the lower 48 states has increased from approximately 487 breeding pairs in 1963, to an estimated 9,789 breeding pairs today.” (USFWS, 2007). The recovery of the eagle is due in part to the reduction of levels of persistent organochlorine pesticides (such as DDT) occurring in the environment, as well as habitat protection and management actions. The bald eagle will continue to be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) of 1940, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918.

USFWS. 2007. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, Final Rule. Federal Register 72(130): 37346-37372.

During 2001, the bald eagle pair at Bass Lake returned to nest again. This year, however, they built a new nest in a live Pondersoa Pine tree a few hundred feet west of the old nest. Our monitoring of the nest was less intensive than the first two years as these birds seem to be settling in quite well, and other wildlife priorities required attention. No pictures of the bald eagle pair were taken by the Forest Service in 2001.

Since the eagle pair has returned for 3 years in a row, and successfully fledged young each year, we assume the level of human activity going on around them is something they are accepting. The pair fledged one young eagle this summer, who was flying on its' own about two weeks prior to July 4th, right on schedule.

We expect that the adult pair will hang around through the winter as they have in years past. We hope to find them during the winter eagle survey in January. Assuming we have a "normal" winter, the eagle pair most likely will start a new nesting cycle in February.

During the winter the adult eagles will eventually force their fledged young to disperse to parts unknown to explore, find a suitable territory, and hopefully a mate.

At this time the bald eagle is still listed as a "Threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act. Overall, the population of bald eagles in the United States has been expanding very well over the past several years. The USDI Fish and Wildlife Service is now considering removing America's Symbol from the endangered species list altogether.